


A Little Piece of Home

by SaraJaye



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas Fluff, Edelgard doesn't understand ugly sweaters, Edelgard loves her wife okay, F/F, Homesickness, Married Couple, Surprise Visits, Ugly Sweaters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-07
Updated: 2019-12-07
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:47:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 810
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21709963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaraJaye/pseuds/SaraJaye
Summary: It's Byleth's first Christmas away from her parents, and she's a bit homesick. Edelgard can't have that.
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 1
Kudos: 130
Collections: FandomWeekly (2019-2020) Writing Challenge on Dreamwidth





	A Little Piece of Home

**Author's Note:**

> Didn't take me long to write an AU scenario for this one. I also gave Byleth's mother a name since she doesn't have one in canon. (EDIT: She does now, and the story has been edited accordingly.)

If Byleth had it her way, they'd have started decorating the sweaters the day after Thanksgiving. But because they didn't celebrate the American holiday in Austria, Edelgard managed to convince her to wait a week.

Frankly, she didn't quite understand the appeal of turning a perfectly good sweater into a garish display, even after having spent at least two Christmases in America with Byleth's family before they married and moved to Austria permanently. But the trend wasn't about to go away anytime soon, and she couldn't say no to something that made her wife happy.

"Every year, Father would bring home three sweaters from Wal-Mart and Mother would buy the brightest, cheapest felt she could find. Then we'd sew on whatever tacky designs came to mind," she said. "One year, we made the Three Stooges out of felt and marker, and Mother covered Curly's bald head with yellow glitter so it looked like he was wearing a bad hairpiece."

She smiled, but it was such a wistful smile Edelgard's heart couldn't help going out to her in that moment. She set down the felt she'd been trying to fashion a semi-tasteful ornament from and moved closer, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"You miss them." Byleth nodded.

"I know they're doing just fine without me back home, and I couldn't be happier here with you, El," she said. "But I miss Mother's hot cider, Father's insistence on watching every single classic Christmas movie at least once, Uncle Alois and his family coming over to help put up the tree..."

"Well, we still have to help Dimitri and Marianne with _their_ tree," Edelgard offered. "And we'll get to see all those Christmas movies with my parents. You know how my stepfather is about _A Christmas Carol._ "

"I know, and I'm excited about that, but..." Byleth sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm being selfish, I'm a grown woman, not some child anymore. Children leave the nest, and it's not like my parents will be all alone this year." She forced a smile, picking up her needle and thread. "I'll be fine. I promise."

But that night, Edelgard couldn't sleep even after her wife had long since nodded off. _Selfish, no, you're the complete opposite. You uprooted your whole life to come live here with me and my family when we got married, because I couldn't get comfortable in America. You're the most selfless woman I've ever known, and you deserve everything you could ever want right under one roof._

An idea sparked, flickered, and blazed across her mind just then. Quietly, so she wouldn't disturb Byleth's sleep, she crept out of bed and down to her study. She turned on her laptop and began to compose an e-mail.

A week later, Edelgard took the day off from work so she could go to the airport while Byleth was giving a final. Their half-decorated tree waited in the parlor, while their unfinished ugly sweaters sat in the sewing box.

"She gets home at three-thirty," Edelgard told the guests.

"And she doesn't know we'll be here?" Sitri Eisner asked, raising an eyebrow. "I still can't believe you arranged for all of this behind her back. Our Byleth has always been very perceptive."

"It took some very careful planning, but yes, I did." Edelgard smiled. "I'm glad you two could make it on such short notice, too."

"And it looks like we got here just in time! That tree's in a sorry state," Jeralt chuckled. Edelgard stifled a laugh of her own, then shushed them as she heard Byleth's key turn in the lock. She stood back as Sitri and Jeralt walked to the door, just close enough for Byleth to see them when she came in.

The look of surprise on her wife's face, followed by her smile and tears of joy, would forever be etched into Edelgard's mind. She didn't have long to savor simply watching the moment, though, before she was tugged into a four-way embrace. It was a little embarrassing, especially when she realized some of the tears flowing were her own.

"Thank you," Byleth whispered, once Sitri and Jeralt backed away and started to unpack their bags. "Thank you, El, a thousand-no, a million times, I can't believe you did this! You are the most incredible wife a woman could ask for, and I'm the luckiest woman in the world to have you!" She flung her arms around Edelgard, who immediately returned the embrace.

" _You're_ the incredible one, and you _deserve_ the world."

"Okay, ladies, let's get to work on that tree!" Jeralt called. "And I brought extra glitter for the sweaters! Just in case you ran out!" Edelgard laughed, rolling her eyes a little as she thought of the fifteen tubes they already had and the design Byleth had planned for hers.

"Even if I'll never understand some of your traditions."


End file.
